The primary objective in writing this book was to provide its readers with an overall view of the Civil War long and adjacent to the Missouri-Arkansas border. No single volume could do justice to all the major and minor events that occurred in the region. There have been many scholarly publications on limited facets of the great conflict, detailing the principal events but leaving largely unaccounted for the times between. ...This treatise will bridge some of the gaps and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the Rebellion on the Missouri-Arkansas border. -- Adapted from preface.

Civil War myths and misconceptions --Colonization, a popular theory, and impractical solution -- Prelude to war -- The Battle of Carthage or Dry Fork -- Forging the Missouri Army -- Expedition and skirmish at Forsyth -- Skirmish at Dug Spring -- The clash of arms at Wilson's Creek -- An act of secession -- Fremont's grand finale -- The Swamp Fox Brigade -- The plight of the noncombatants -- The perils of neutralism -- Prologue to the Spring offensive -- The Pea Ridge Campaign -- Days of reckoning -- Reconnoitering the border zone -- The siege of New Madrid -- Island No. 10 -- Internecine warfare on the border -- Skirmishes at Ozark, Mo., and White River -- Battle of Newtonia -- Spies, probes and counterprobes -- Battle of Prairie Grove -- Raidng the borderland -- Warfare on the Eastern border -- Confederate expedition to Cape Girardeau -- Borderland guerrillas and bushwhackers -- Post Civil War period. -- Notes and references -- Chronology of military events.